My Current Bible Reading Plan

I’ve been a Christian since childhood and have always known the importance of daily Scripture reading. For some reason, it has always been a struggle to fit it into my routine. Even though I love to read, I found myself getting bogged down in Leviticus’s laws and the history of Israel’s kings. I have tried several reading plans over the years, but nothing seemed to grab my attention.

Earlier this Fall, I felt desperate to connect with God’s Word. Upon a friend’s recommendation, I decided to commit myself to giving Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System a try for two months. That was in August, and I’m still enjoying — and looking forward to — diving into reading Scripture daily.

If you are not familiar with the plan, you can read about it in detail here. To briefly summarize the plan, the Bible is grouped into 10 lists. Ideally, the reader will read one chapter from each of the ten lists daily. I hear ya! That sounds intimidating, but it is actually not as daunting of a task as you might imagine. Most days, I split the reading into two 15-20 minute sittings. It’s actually quite refreshing to know that this quiet time is set aside and it gives me a chance to bring my focus back to the things that are most important.

Why has this plan worked so well for me? First of all, I love its flexibility. Life happens and there are days that I simply can’t find time to read the 10 chapters. When I figured out that missing a day or not completing the “entire assignment ” didn’t ruin the plan, my Reading found new freedom. Since there are no dates associated with the passages, I don’t feel guilty because I’ve “gotten behind.” Only have time to read 3 chapters? No problem! Read what you can, move your markers ahead, and start fresh the next day!

I also love the variety that comes with the reading. At first I thought it would be confusing since I wasn’t following a storyline from beginning to end. For a young Christian, this might be a legitimate concern. But what I actually experienced was a greater understanding of how Scripture opens up in a wider sense. Last week, I was blessed as I read of the crucifixion in John before reading about the Passover in Leviticus and Messianic prophecies in the Psalms. The plan is re-enforcing in my heart and mind the truth that all Scripture is God-breathed.

How long do I plan to read this way? I don’t know. It’s certainly not how I study Scripture….it’s just for my daily devotions. However, since starting in August, I have probably consumed more of the Bible than in any other season of my life. I’ve already read the entire New Testament — and I’m getting close to finishing a second reading! And I’ve worked my way through the Proverbs three times while just finishing my 4th reading of Acts! The most exciting part? I’m discovering things that I never realized were sitting right on the page in front of me.

Whatever method you choose, the point of this post is simple….JUST READ! You’ll be glad you did.

 

Bible Reading Plans

2014 is off and running. Many people have made resolutions to improve their lives in the coming year. Amid the resolutions to lose weight, become more organized, and devote more time to family, it seems that many include a spiritual goal. Whether you want to grow spiritually, maintain a daily devotional life, or simply read the entire Bible this year, a plan of attack is helpful to help you achieve your goals.  Here are some tips that I have found helpful in reading the entire Bible in one year.

Select your plan carefully. The Bible is a wonderful book, filled with encouraging stories of faith. At the same time, it can be daunting and overwhelming to the uninitiated. Where do I start? By the time the reader gets to Leviticus, he may find himself wondering what happened to the story line!  Two of the most popular approaches are canonical (reading straight through) and chronological (in historical order). I’ve tried both and had difficult times. I found it really tough to plow through the Old Testament prophecy day after day.  The good news is that there is a plethora of reading plans available on the Internet; one of my favorite sites to find a large number of them is youversion.com. At this time, I am using the plan found at www.Bible-Reading.com; each day of the week is devoted to a different type of Biblical literature (e.g. Sundays are for NT letters, Mondays are for Law, Tuesdays are devoted to History). I find the diversity of reading a different literary genre each day quite refreshing. I began reading with this method in June and am just over halfway through the plan.

Decide on a translation. There is no right or wrong choice. I enjoy reading in a translation that I am not terribly familiar with to give the words new meaning. If you have never read the entire Bible through, I recommend using the New International Version (NIV), New Living Translation (NLT), or the English Standard Version (ESV).

Set aside time. It is important to your success to make a daily appointment for Scripture reading just as you would any other appointment. Our society is driven by our calendars; if we block the time out, we are more likely to follow through.

Don’t be afraid of technology! Modern conveniences make my daily Bible reading much easier to fit into my life. I include a daily reminder to read on my electronic to-do list. The youversion Bible app is downloaded on my phone and iPad, allowing me easy access to whatever version I’m reading from without the need for a wi-fi connection. Since I’m not using one of the reading plans included in the Bible app, I use an app like Evernote or Notes to make a list of my daily readings for the week.

Know from the beginning that life happens. Schedules will become hectic and there will be times that you miss your daily reading. Relax! You have not failed at reading the entire Scripture in a year because of a single day. Many new reading plans build in catch-up days to allow for these inevitable obstacles. In my current reading plan, I know that Wednesdays and Thursdays tend to have shorter readings; when I get behind, I can use those days to do some catch up reading.

Keep the Focus the main focus. We are not reading simply to mark something off our bucket list. We read Scripture in an effort to know the Author of the Book more personally and allow Him to make a difference in our life. Keep your focus on the transformation occurring in your life because of the time you are devoting to reading the Word of God.

I’d love to hear from you. What plan are you using this year to read through the Word? Can you add tips that you have found helpful? Share in the comment section of this post and let’s support each other throughout the year….then we can celebrate the greatness of God in our lives together at the end.

In Search of……

I’m in the market for a new Bible and have been for several weeks now. With so many copies and editions available, it seems as though it would be an easy purchase. I know what I’m looking for. I know where to look….or at least I thought I did. I’m simply not having any luck.

Aren’t all Bibles the same? Of course there are different translations and paraphrases. Then you must consider the font size, location of footnotes and commentary, and page layout. Hard cover, paperback or leather bound? Words of Christ in red? So many decisions to make.

The Bible I am looking for will have a specific purpose. It will be my primary study Bible. That determines what translation I want: New International. (I’m not implying that NIV is superior to any other translation; it’s simply my preferred translation when I’m studying.) I don’t care about the cover and really don’t want a red-letter edition. What I DO want is a Bible with a simple layout — ideally a single column per page — with wide margins and NO commentary or footnotes next to the text. Why? I want to have plenty of room to write and make my own markings. That’s part of what makes Bible study personal for me.

For now, I’ll continue to use my NIV Worship Bible (published by Maranatha Publishing) that I love because of the corresponding prayers, quotes, and hymns printed in the margins. It has been a wonderful tool in planning worship sets over the years. I’m ready to step back from all the extras for a while and simply encounter the text in all of its beauty. I’m taking my search to the internet now to see what I can find.

How about you? What does your ideal study Bible look like? Which translation do you find yourself coming back to for clarity and insight? I’d love to hear from all of you in the comment section below.